N-Word Chant Benches Girls' Hoops Team

A Buffalo girls basketball was suspended after players reportedly used those words as part of a pregame cheer, the Daily News reports.

Tyra Batts, the sole African-American on the Kenmore East High School’s squad, told the Buffalo News that her teammates would hold hands before the game, say a prayer and then shout "One, two, three (n------)."

The practice came to light when Tyra was suspended for getting into a fight about the use of racial slurs during practice, according to the newspaper.

She said that she was alarmed by the cheer, but had been outnumbered and told that the use of the slur was just a team tradition.

"I said, 'You're not allowed to say that word because I don't like that word,' " she told the newspaper. "They said, 'You know we're not racist, Tyra. It's just a word, not a label.' I was outnumbered."

Tyra’s suspension was shortened after the principal learned of the racial allegations. At least a dozen girls were suspended.

Good for Batts for speaking out. The suspension is a good first step toward teaching the team -- and the school -- an important lesson. But these attitudes do not change overnight. The school and parents apparently have a lot of hard work to do if anything is to change.